Safeguarding Caledonian Canal’s 200-year-old Ness Weir

The 200-year-old Thomas Telford-built Ness Weir on the Caledonian Canal has undergone a major refurbishment, extending the structure’s lifespan by a century.

The lifespan of the Thomas Telford-designed Ness Weir, which raises the level of Loch Ness by over a metre, has been extended by a century, with custodians Scottish Canals reinforcing the structure with enough steel to construct two and a half Kelpies.

The £2 million Scottish Government-funded project saw the Caledonian Canal’s Ness Weir, which sits at the mouth of Loch Dochfour and the River Ness near Inverness, reinforced with 10,000 metres of steel piling to strengthen the structure and safeguard it for future generations.

Constructed between 1825 and 1830, the weir raises the water level of Loch Dochfour by almost two metres, Loch Ness by 1.2 metres, and holds back around 100,000,000m3 of water. Thanks to this elegant engineering solution, thousands of vessels – from holiday hire yachts to coast-to-coast fishing boats – are able to make the journey from Dochgarroch, through Loch Dochfour, and into Loch Ness each year.